Should we think about “de-colonizing” our movement?

I recently attended a tele-seminar hosted by Transition US, an organization dedicated to living locally, cooperatively, and with a fossil fuel-free future. It was called “Decolonizing Resiliency Movements.” The speaker, Susan Juniper Park, is an Oakland-based activist and community organizer engaged at the crossroads of food, ecological and economic justice efforts.

Susan challenged us to think about the following in our projects: whose ancestral land are we on? What are these people’s struggles? Are we building relationships with them?

The information participants learned included many examples of people taking knowledge from indigenous or communities of color and using it without its cultural context or for financial gain. For example, problems with Permaculture can include:

“…losing the context – whose “technology” is it? When the knowledge is branded and commodified, who profits? Is proper recognition and reciprocity provided? Are relationships built with the communities?” – Susan Juniper Park, Transition US tele-seminar, Oct 17, 2017.

The information also included being sensitive to terms like “homesteading,” which was how colonists physically claimed the land in North America. Now, it’s used to refer to producing food and working your land, but the term has been removed from its history.

These problems also extend to housing, when people with more privilege are purchasing land in places where indigenous communities are also struggling to have rights to their homelands. This is not a topic that comes up when talking about creating our own housing, it can be difficult to think about, and we may not feel we have privilege. However, this makes sense to me that our work should always be in step with marginalized communities in LA. Working together ensures that we learn from one another and build strength together. If we don’t take into account the history of the place we are in, we will not be able to create change in the world the way we envision.

As a person with privilege, I know I have a responsibility to include and support the work of communities of color and indigenous peoples. I hope members will join me in that goal and share their own insights and energy.